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Library of Congress Control Number: 2020953026
ISBN 978-1-119-81027-8 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-81028-5 (ebk)
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Introduction
Iam passionate about helping people reach their goals and create the lives they dream of. I know that decluttering your entire life will help you achieve what you desire. I also know that decluttering is more than simply clearing your physical clutter, although this will definitely help you feel less stressed and more productive. Decluttering requires a complete shift in mindset to ensure that your entire life is in alignment with your goals.
My goal is to get you excited to start decluttering and continue decluttering. Your decluttering strategies will change as your life changes, and they are meant to be adapted. I want to motivate you by explaining the benefits of decluttering followed by practical tips on how to get started and stay decluttered. Often the hardest part is getting motivated to begin. I hope this book is the motivation you need to get started right now and change your life for the better.
About This Book
I have organized this book so you can quickly reference the areas where you need decluttering help immediately. You can also read the entire book cover to cover to get decluttering motivation, discover more about the benefits of living clutter free, or figure out where to start.
Most of this book focuses on decluttering physical spaces in your home, from closets to kitchens to garages. For these chapters, you can use the sections that pertain to you. Read the entire chapters, or use them as a reference. Sometimes I also discuss categories that could be in a different spot in your home. For example, when decluttering the bedroom you may also need to refer to the closet chapter and storage for books if you have lots of these items in your bedroom.
I also include a chapter about decluttering the never-ending flow of papers that seem to pile up everywhere. Creating a system for dealing with stuff is the secret to staying clutter free, and I give you some ideas for staying organized in Chapter 12.
Foolish Assumptions
As I was writing this book, I made some assumptions about who would be reading it. This book is for you if
» You want more time and freedom in your life.
» You want to be able to walk through your home and know where everything is without being frustrated looking for things.
» You want a streamlined closet where you waste no time choosing clothes or searching for anything.
» You want everything in your home to add value to your life, not just collect dust.
» You want to be as efficient as possible in your home.
» You want to give back to your community where you can.
» You want simple ideas to help you feel free of clutter in all areas of your life.
Icons Used in This Book
Throughout the book, I use a handful of icons to point out various types of information and highlight certain points. Here’s what they are and what they mean:
The Author Says icon is where perhaps I present lots of information beforehand, but I want to put my own spin on it. This is also where I bring up anything that is relevant to my technique or what I consider my signature advice.
The Remember icon is like a little Post-it note, labeling anything in the book that’s key to remember.
The Tip icon indicates a quick way to remember important material or perform a task. Use these tips to help you save time and frustration.
The Warning icon helps you steer around common mistakes. It also gives you a heads-up when a task may be extra challenging or there may be some sensitivity around it.
Where to Go from Here
If you know where you want to begin on your decluttering quest, turn to the table of contents or index to find the pages that address that area of your home. Then get busy!
If you’re not quite sure about decluttering yet, Chapter 1 gives a brief overview of the concepts and topics covered in the book. Plus, it will likely get you the most excited to start and give you ideas regarding which of the following chapters you want to read next.
When you’re ready to tackle a specific area of your home, check out Chapters 3-10; these chapters include most areas in most homes. If you can’t find a specific area or category, don’t worry because many of the tips and processes for decluttering can be adapted easily from a garage to a linen closet to the bathroom. You will find that there is repetitive advice because the same strategies do apply, and if it gets too repetitive and you’re well versed in the processes, you can skip to another section. After you implement a few decluttering strategies, you will notice that you now have more time and are automatically using these techniques.
This last piece of advice should be easy to follow: Don’t read what you don’t need. If you don’t have a garage, then you likely won’t need to read about garage decluttering. However, since the strategies and principles apply to many spaces, I would read the most relevant chapter for your current needs. Maybe one day you will have a garage, and then you can read that chapter!
My goal is that you will have less stress and more happiness when you have less stuff and know where it all is.
Happy decluttering!
» Looking at decluttering styles
» Seeing the psychology of decluttering
» Deciding what to let go of
Chapter 1
The Basics of Decluttering
The goal of this book isn’t to simply inspire you to declutter one or more of your spaces or show you how to go about it. The goal of decluttering is to be able to live your life the way you want to live it by determining your goals, figuring out where there are blockages, and figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving what you desire. Then you clear the clutter to help you create the life you deserve.
This book helps you identify which items in your home are truly clutter and what is taking up mental space unnecessarily, which is often overlooked. When you’re always hunting for your keys that you lost (again) or searching for your favorite blouse, you become stressed and distracted, which keeps you from making progress toward your goals. Clutter can be difficult to identify, which is likely why you picked up this book in the first place. Clutter can range from obvious trash to very expensive, large things.
To make the issue even more complicated, clutter is different for every person. One person’s clutter is another person’s joy. Thus, decluttering needs to be an individual quest. Each person will have a different approach to decluttering depending on their lifestyle, and this book will help you determine a method that works for you. The first step is to determine your personal cluttering style.
Determining Your Current Cluttering Style
Decluttering doesn’t mean you only need to keep one item of clothing or furniture, or that you have to commit to a minimalist lifestyle.
Some of us can easily declutter and get rid of everything we don’t need immediately without giving it a second thought. But for most of us, decluttering is not that easy and goes much deeper into our emotional need for stuff due to our consumerist society. According to the Huffington Post, there are more storage facilities than McDonald’s restaurants in America. At the end of 2014, there were 48,500 self-storage facilities in America compared to 14,350 McDonald’s (at the end of 2020, those numbers were about 48,000 self-storage facilities and 13,800 McDonald’s). This further proves that getting rid of items is so difficult for us that we’d rather pay to store them!
People who have excessive clutter stashes can also become hoarders, and approximately 19 million Americans fall into this category. The American Psychiatric Association defines hoarders as people who “excessively save items that others may view as worthless. They have persistent difficulty parting with possessions, leading to clutter that disrupts their ability to use their living or work spaces.”
I’m not saying that hoarding, which is considered a disease similar to OCD, is anything remotely close to being a clutterbug. I am using the term clutterbug to describe someone who lets clutter build up over time and hangs onto items for reasons that are more emotional than practical. However, holding onto clutter could eventually lead to hoarding, which is why you should take decluttering seriously and commit to it regularly. Whether you are detail-oriented or a big-picture thinker, you should know your clutter style like you know your blood type to gain a better understanding of yourself and how you can maximize your life.
Answer these questions honestly to start thinking about your clutter style:
1. Do you constantly hunt for things you’ve misplaced in your home?
2. Do you put things into stacks or piles?
3. When you look at your flat surfaces, such as your desk or kitchen counters, are their piles of things on them?
4. Do you end up buying a second or third item for use in your home because you can’t find the one you already own?
5. Do you use shopping as retail therapy rather than shopping only when you really need something?
6. Do you not have room to put away some of the stuff you own?
7. Are there clothes lying on the floor?
8. When you reach for a pen, do you have 50 to choose from but sometimes end up with one that doesn’t work?
9. Do you keep every single Christmas card you’ve been given?
10. Do you keep every plastic food container you accumulate but find that matching lids are missing when you need them?
11. Does your home make you feel stressed out because of all the stuff in there?
If you answered more than half the questions with a yes, you are most likely a clutterbug or on your way there. If you are feeling overwhelmed by clutter right now and you answered yes to several of the preceding questions, you may have some habits that are causing you to head down a self-sabotaging path. Houses with too much stuff in them can be physically, emotionally, and spiritually draining, and that takes away your peace of mind and joy of heart. Don’t worry; there’s always room for improvement. The first step is recognizing that a problem exists in order to take steps to create your best, decluttered life.
Don’t get discouraged or angry with yourself for your clutter habits — life can be busy and hectic. Setting up a decluttering mindset takes work and dedication. You’re not alone.
The next step is to tackle the mental and emotional aspects of being a clutterbug so you can begin to create and maintain new habits that will help you experience clutter-free joy.
There are several different types of so-called clutterbugs. You may fall into one category, all categories, or none of them, and that’s okay. I added the clutterbug types in hopes that you may see yourself in the different categories and begin to envision a plan of how you can overcome your own barriers to decluttering. These visions will help move you forward on your quest to declutter.
Whatever your clutter personality, many people say, “I will deal with this tomorrow, next week, next month, next year,” and we see how this pattern can escalate. No matter what type of clutterbug your personality reveals, you cannot put off decluttering any longer. If you defer this task, it only gets bigger, making you even less likely to deal with it. From paper to tech gadgets to piles of clothing, the task will only get bigger daily. I often also say that people who defer this task are also the ones who end up being the most stressed about clutter.
The emotional clutterbug
The emotional clutterbug is the most common type and is characterized by emotional attachment to items that have sentimental value. The emotional clutterbug prioritizes feelings over practicality. It’s difficult for this clutterbug to get rid of things, and she often purchases items to fill a void or out of pure boredom.
This clutterbug may also be someone who saves sentimental items due to the powerful emotions they evoke. Most people have sentimental items, and that’s okay! They bring joy and serve as reminders of happy memories. You don’t need to get rid of all your sentimental items; however, you have to set a limit. If you don’t have a limit on sentimental items, it’s easy for the amount to get out of control, causing clutter in your mental and physical space.
Here are a few strategies to help get you started dealing with sentimental items:
» Commit to regularly evaluating your sentimental items. If you own a box of concert shirts that are tucked away but you never look at them, why keep them? After committing to regularly evaluate your sentimental items, you may be ready to part with them.
» Repurpose sentimental items. For example, you can frame your favorite concert shirts to make them visible all the time, and then you can discard the rest. Doing so can bring you more joy and less clutter. Plus, having your favorite items on display can help bring more positivity into your life.
» Keep only a small dedicated space for sentimental items. Have a space in your home that is precious real estate and dedicate this space to your sentimental items. This will help you be more conscious of what resides there.
» Envision the joy of being able to actually enjoy the true sentimental items you do keep. When you surround yourself with items that bring you joy and positivity, they are no longer clutter. Ensure that you can make use of every item and get rid of the rest. Trust me, you’ll feel so much lighter once you know that every item you own has a purpose — even if that purpose is simply to bring you happiness!
I discuss emotional attachment to stuff in most chapters of this book, so you can get ideas on how to handle sentimental items associated with the chapters in which they’re addressed. What’s important is that you set limits because you want to be able to enjoy your sentimental items, and finding them quickly is key for that. Keep them in a labeled box (see Figure 1-1) or on display so they can be viewed, not stored away in an attic where you will forget about them.
FIGURE 1-1: An example of a sentimental storage box.
Image courtesy of author (photo credit: @avalonmohns)
The just-in-case clutterbug
Just-in-case clutterbugs keep things they may need “someday” or to ensure they have them “just in case.” This clutterbug is the type of person who keeps the box a microwave came in just in case he has to return it in ten years. Whether the item is a blouse, a kitchen utensil, or an extra lawn mower, this clutterbug operates from a scarcity mindset and a lack of trust or awareness around items he already has.
I know many of us fall into this category, and I definitely do. I used to save every button from every skirt, jacket, and blouse just in case I needed it, when in reality I had a button jar so big it mimicked an old-school cookie jar. Plus, I take everything that needs work done to the tailor, and tailors have buttons. This example may seem trivial; you may think, “How can buttons become stressful clutter?” The truth is that clutter is not restricted to size, value, or even whether it’s tangible. Clutter is defined by anything you own in excess that is no longer practical. Keep this in mind throughout the book and remember not to get discouraged — my goal is to make you excited to declutter. The benefits of decluttering outweigh putting it off any longer.
The “I’m not a clutterbug” clutterbug
We’ve all been in denial at some point of our lives, and the “I’m not a clutterbug” clutterbug is familiar with this feeling. This person may be stressed and overwhelmed but has difficulty determining the cause, even though on some level she knows she has too much stuff. This causes the clutterbug to accumulate even more clutter because she isn’t even conscious of her actions. Many people who aren’t aware that they’re a clutterbug carry subconscious stress and don’t know where their anxiety is stemming from. I’ve seen many people become less stressed and anxious after they admit that they own too much because they can then create actionable steps toward a decluttered and happier life.
Maybe you secretly know you’re a clutterbug but don’t want to admit it because you are a perfectionist, and you plan to spend the entire next month organizing and decluttering perfectly. Perfectionists can be perfect at some types of jobs and tasks, but they usually have an all-or-nothing philosophy. If you’re one of them, be careful — you may never be able to get started because the task
is so overwhelming. You don’t need to be 100 percent decluttered instantly, and I know for a perfectionist that may be hard to hear. Take the pressure off and start small. Remember that progress is better than perfection.
The “I’ll do it later” clutterbug
Along the same lines as denial, the “I’ll do it later” clutterbug procrastinates decluttering. It’s easy to do because often we don’t equate decluttering to being fun. I find this clutterbug to be one of the most common types. Luckily, the techniques in this book can not only motivate you to get started but also show you practical solutions on how to go about it.
Constantly putting off decluttering results in the clutter becoming too overwhelming to deal with, and that’s why you probably haven’t started or just say, “I’ll do it later.”
Let’s face it: We are all very busy and only have a certain amount of time and energy to spend each day. Starting the decluttering process can be emotionally challenging, which makes it even harder to find the time to start. I recommend choosing to spend just 10 to 15 minutes per day decluttering, as this will bring you one step closer to getting things done. Remember that freeing up clutter frees up more time in the long run because you’ll no longer waste time taking care of things that you don’t use or looking for things that are buried among clutter.
The “I can’t decide” clutterbug
Here’s a fun fact: We are actually wired to acquire clutter, which makes it even harder to decide what is clutter and what isn’t! Our instincts say we should store resources for times of scarcity. Have you ever watched a squirrel gather food for winter? This is exactly that mindset, and they’re so focused on it that they don’t even think about deciding what to keep. Couple this instinct with our insatiable need to consume and buy new things — because shopping splurges produce dopamine, giving us a happy rush — and it’s even more difficult to decide what to declutter. You may often feel sad, stressed, or overwhelmed thinking about what to declutter, and it may feel easier to not decide altogether. However, the inability to decide can cause greater stress in the long run, and it’s always best to get out of this mindset and create a plan.
The decision about what to toss can be stressful, and that’s why it’s a good idea to give yourself timelines and tricks to help minimize the painful decision process. For example, if you really can’t decide on which frilly shirts to donate, turn the hangers the opposite way. If after a season you haven’t worn them, make a commitment to get rid of these items. Or perhaps you don’t have room for the books you have read but you want to remember them. You can take a photo instead and discard the physical book. Ideas like these can help make tough decisions that you may not make otherwise less stressful. There is always room for compromise and adaptability when it comes to decluttering, and it may take some trial and error to figure out what works for you.
The “techie” clutterbug
Techie clutterbugs have so many cables, cords, and tech gadgets they don’t even know where to start decluttering, what works, or what goes with each device. This is not an uncommon type of clutterbug, and with today’s fast-moving technological changes, it’s easy to fall into this category. I am a victim of keeping my old phones just in case, even though they are so old they probably wouldn’t even turn on. I also keep wires for that DSL modem plug-in just in case the Wi-Fi goes down, and that frayed charger just in case I lose the new one. We are so intimately connected to our tech gadgets that we naturally keep their accessories because we can’t imagine not being able to operate without them.
Think of tech gadgets as the worst type of clutter to hold onto because with the speed of advancements, tech gadgets become useless faster than most other physical stuff. Plus, tech gadgets are more widely available, and new versions are always ready for sale. Just as with all types of clutter, there is no need to hold onto what is no longer practical. Pay attention to what you no longer use and have the courage to part with these items to create more physical and mental space in your life. After you’ve sorted the gadgets you don’t need any more from those you do use, organize the keepers in an easily accessible fashion.
The knowledge clutterbug
Today, limitless knowledge resources are at your fingertips, and what you keep for your knowledge database should be a decision you make based on practical and future reasons. For example, if you purchase the newest edition of a textbook, the previous version should be recycled. Start small if you fall into this category.
Knowledge is clutter until and unless it is properly organized in a way that makes that knowledge accessible. My parents have every single National Geographic dating back to 1969. After I had a surgery with two weeks’ downtime, I took the time to organize every single one by year and put them into slipcovers. The joy that this brought my parents was unbelievable — their memories of reading them, the knowledge they brought them, and the beautiful pictures that are still astounding today. These magazines are filled with knowledge you could find today on the Internet; however, their sentimental value made them extra special. Now that the issues are properly organized, my parents often read editions from past years.
If you have stacks and stacks of reports or papers and have no clue where a specific one is, that’s clutter. If they are organized so you can reference them, they can be useful and are no longer clutter. To put it simply, get rid of anything you don’t use, or declutter properly so the items are usable.
Important digital, mental, or printed knowledge needs to be dealt with properly. Sensitive information should be destroyed or shredded. Perhaps some knowledge needs to be passed on to the next generation or teams. Important documents should be housed in several locations to avoid losing them. Before getting rid of any knowledge, make sure you evaluate it first and determine appropriate steps. For example, I always back up my digital items as well as store them in a digital cloud.
The collector clutterbug
I’m pretty sure all of us have collected something sometime in our lives, from stamps to dolls to watches to baseball cards. Anything that can be collected and cherished can also lead to clutter. Remember the days when you used to collect CDs? Well, now most people don’t even have CD players. For those folks, CDs are no longer usable and are therefore considered clutter.
The key is to really understand whether you’re a collector, hoarder, or clutterbug. Hoarders are not able to let go, and this is a serious issue that is repeatedly brought up in this book. Collectors take pride in what they have collected, whether it is worth something or not. The collection becomes clutter when it becomes bothersome and inconvenient to manage. It turns from collection to clutter when embarrassment, shame, or secrecy surround keeping the collection. Clutter is the result of accumulating items
that you don’t have the time and energy to deal with. Knowing how and when your collections reach this point is an important but difficult task and should always be monitored by you and your friends or family to help with the process.
The “I can use it someday” clutterbug
My grandma was the perfect example of an “I can use it someday” clutterbug, which speaks to how society has shifted and how the era you grew up in makes a big difference. My grandmother lived through the Depression and still had that scarcity mindset of rationing. She did not grow up in today’s consumerist society with the ability to have one-day shipping. So her affinity for her stuff was different and almost natural. That said, the era you live does not dictate how much of a clutterbug you become. The “I can use it someday” clutterbug of any age or generation can think like this.
I believe this type of clutter is a real problem because it can lead to hoarding. All the clutterbug types can become hoarders, but this one seems the most likely to. Hoarding can be rooted in deepseated insecurities, whether financial or emotional. Deep down, hoarders feel like they will never have enough resources, and they fear letting go of anything because they believe that they truly will use that item one day. Even if items are useless, worn, or broken, this type of clutterbug hangs onto any and all items.
Depending on how severe your “I can use it someday” tendency is, a good start is to mentally reassure yourself that you will be able to find this item again if and when you need it. You can either buy, borrow, or repurpose the item. You have to give yourself the security that more egg cartons will be produced, more Old Navy black sweaters will be knit, and more magazines will be printed. Resources are and will continue to be available.
Understanding the Psychology behind Clutter
I don’t have a psychology degree, but I’ve done enough research on this topic to inspire others to get motivated. You get peace and satisfaction from being in a decluttered space, both physically and mentally. You can also empathize with the idea of feeling
defeated and overwhelmed by the amount of clutter that exists. When clutter exists, your energy is affected physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Clutter always reveals your mindset. If you operate with low self-esteem, you may own more expensive clothing than necessary because you use retail therapy as a means to feel happy. If you are worried about money, you may keep items that you don’t necessarily need. If you’ve dealt with loss and grief, you may be more attached to sentimental items than someone who has not gone through similar experiences. The bottom line is that clutter is a symptom of deeper things going on in your psyche, and when you deal with clutter, you can transform into the person you are meant to be.
Go back to a time when you were surrounded by clutter and think about how it made you feel. It could be a cluttered desk, a stuffed attic, or your mind full of so many tasks you didn’t know where to start. You don’t need a psychology degree to understand that when you think back to these times you get a bit stressed — or in medical terms, your cortisol levels rise.
The negative effects of clutter
Here is where I can get really real on the psychological effects of clutter. The biggest effects are stress and increased cortisol levels. A study done by UCLA observed 32 middle-class LA families and found that all of the moms’ stress hormones spiked during the time they spent dealing with their belongings.
Clutter can harm relationships, and studies have shown that where the word “clutter” is used to describe couples’ current households, a higher percentage of divorces ensue. Clutter can often be the root of disagreements that can lead to larger problems. Whatever you’re living situation is — whether you’re living with a roommate, significant other, family, stranger, or dog — those you live with define clutter differently, and that, of course, affects your living situation and your daily moods. Here are some tips:
» Listen to your partner’s feelings about the clutter each of you leaves in the house. Make sure you share decluttering habits with your partner. Share your reasons for wanting to declutter and your strategies. For example, you might show your partner the new boxes you labeled “Donate,”
“Recycle,” “Trash,” “Sentimental,” and so on. Remember, your partner may get worried upon hearing that you’re decluttering and fear that you are going to get rid of everything. Be willing to listen to your partner’s concerns, voice your reasons for wanting to declutter, and ask for support throughout the process. You can even shed light on the negative effects of clutter to help your partner understand how getting rid of excess stuff can and will improve both of your lives.
» Get rid of what you don’t need to improve your emotional well-being. I bet you’re thinking that today’s consumerist society and keeping up with the Joneses mean that we have to have a lot of stuff and keep buying more stuff to put in our bigger houses and so forth. However, if you see your stuff spreading to a level that you can’t organize or keep clean, this can cause stress, especially if you take pride in having a tidy home. Therefore, having a cluttered environment can result in feelings of low self-worth and even depression in some cases!
» Improve your focus. Clutter is and always will be distracting. This is not rocket science or anything new. Clutter can compete for your brain’s focus, and thereby not allow you to give your full focus to what is important. It takes more energy to actively avoid and ignore clutter than it does to actually deal with it.
» Change your behavior. A large part of your energy can be attributed to your surroundings. Waking up to an efficient home with things you use daily versus waking up to a big pile of junk makes a difference. This can also influence the behavior of your kids, friends, and even fur babies. Clutter can cause a chaotic environment not only for you but also for those who come in contact with you. For example, entering a doctor’s waiting room that’s so busy you can barely sit and fill out forms affects your mood differently than entering a sterile, clutter-free environment. Never discount the powerful effect of clutter on your mental and emotional well-being.
Why decluttering lets you do more and stress less
Research has proved the positive effects of decluttering and being organized. However, in a fast-paced life, it’s impossible to avoid
all stress. You’re stimulated by stuff and people all wanting your attention. While avoiding all stress may not be a real option, how you deal with your stuff can help manage one aspect of your stress. The more stuff you have, both physical and mental, the more your stress is triggered.
Therefore, if you want to feel less stress, decluttering your life is a good start so you can focus more on the other areas of your life. The process can even be therapeutic once you start eliminating other stresses!
Here are a few strategies to help relieve decluttering stress:
» Stop making impulse buys. This only leads to more stuff.
» Clean and tidy up your bedroom. Where you wake up has a big impact on how your day is affected.
» Go through your closet. You don’t want to be stressed wondering what to wear or waste time in your closet.
» Clean out your car. It’s amazing how great a clean car can feel during an otherwise stressful drive.
» Remove unwanted apps on your phone. If you’re like most people, you phone is with you all day every day and you spend hours staring at the screen. Delete what you don’t need.
» Unsubscribe to emails. The less spam mail you get, the less stress you feel. Unsubscribe to what you don’t need.
I juggle many things in my life, and I know you do as well. From personal and business obligations to family and friendships, the time struggle is real with ever-increasing obligations. How you juggle so many things can heavily depend on the clutter you have lingering in your home, workspace, and mind. To really reduce stress and be more focused and productive, start relating clutter to stress and slowly reduce it. Tackle one day or category at a time and be consistent.
If You Don’t Use It, Toss It
You’ve probably heard it said before: “If you don’t use it, toss it.” This is easy to say. However, I want to give you some quick tips on how to implement this advice. It requires a mindset change. You
need to program your mind to say no a lot more. I don’t mean to party invites or customer inquiries; I mean to stuff.
Say no when you want to buy something simply because it’s your favorite color or it’s on sale for half price. The common sale purchase only works if you would actually have paid full price for the item in the first place; otherwise, it will likely end up being clutter.
Before investing in potentially more clutter, always ask yourself these questions: Why do I need this? Do I already have this? Will it serve a purpose?
Decluttering does not mean going without. Losing clutter should be a relief, not something to be scared about. I know when you picked up this book you were already worried you might have to give up too much stuff or be asked to live so minimally that you’d only have one fork and two knives. That is not the case.
Removing clutter all around should make you feel more comfortable in your home, office, car, mind, or wherever you spend your time. If the act of decluttering makes you scared, don’t give up. You simply need to change your mindset, and you’re probably decluttering in a way that doesn’t fit your clutterbug type or your lifestyle.
So why not practice getting better at identifying what needs to go? Start by dividing your belongings into categories according to how often you use them: Daily, Weekly, Sporadically, Rarely, and Never. By putting the items into these categories, you can visually see which ones you don’t use. It helps calm the process and makes it easier and visual. You can use bins, boxes, or bags to organize these items.
You will likely keep the items in the first two categories, so find a permanent place for them. The key to decluttering is not only to get rid of things you don’t use but also to make sure you have a spot for the things you do use.
I advise getting rid of the last two categories of items. You’ll have to make a tough choice as to whether the sporadic bin is worth keeping. If the items are not practical, get rid of them!
Stay positive and take mental breaks if needed, but keep decluttering.
